Brazil gives Meta 72 hours for explanation for the fact check program

Brazil gives Meta 72 hours for explanation for the fact check program

The Brazilian government gave Meta until Monday to the recently made changes to its FactenCheck program as Solicitor General Jorge Messiah announced on Friday. This decision follows that the social network has set its US fact check program and reduced the restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender identity.

Unclear about future measures

It is currently unclear what consequences will occur after the deadline. Messiah expressed his great concern in Brasília about the politics persecuted by Meta and stated: "Brazilian society will not be at the mercy of such a policy." He compared the company's strategy with a wind sock at the airport, which constantly changes depending on the wind direction.

reactions of the government

On Thursday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the changes as "extremely serious" and announced that he had called for a meeting on the discussion of the topic. This concern shows how important the transparency and responsibility of social media are for Brazilian society.

Meta’s statement and future plans

Meta initially did not respond to inquiries for a comment. When announcing the changes, CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that there were "too many mistakes and too much censorship". A spokesman for the company emphasized that the adjustments are currently only planned for the US market.

silence of Reuters

Reuters, a partner of Meta in the US fact check program, has so far refused to take a position on the changes. This raises further questions about transparency and cooperation between the media and social platforms.